Tennis 2011

Tennis 2011

I am for Nadal, yaani nimeacha kabisa kuangalia....Nadal has lost confidence
 
Djokovic wins the first set 6-4! Who saw this coming? Although his returning has been poor, Djokovic was getting increasingly encouraged by how he's fared in the longer rallies, which he was dominating more and more. At 30-0, he goes toe-to-toe with Nadal and eventually comes out on top with a superb diagonal backhand. The next point's even better from Djokovic, a wonderful forehand down the line doing for Nadal. Suddenly Nadal's in a little bit of trouble. He goes back to what he knows best, trying to overpower Djokovic, but his opponent is growing as this match goes on. He's not about to wilt, and for once Nadal does, as he cracks a low forehand into the net to give Djokovic a set point. And he takes it, as Nadal drops a forehand just inside the left tramlines. This wasn't in the script. Now we'll see what Nadal's made of. Probably granite. First set, Nadal 4-5 Djokovic* This is more attritional than Journey's End. There hasn't been a break point yet. In fact, I'm not sure we've even gone to deuce. The serving's been of an exceptionally high quality as well, though some of the returns have left something to be desired. Surprisingly, so has the action at the net, Djokovic winning more admirers with a delicate forehand volley off an attempted cross-court Nadal backhand pass. The value of serving first is demonstrated now. Nadal now has to serve to stay in the first set.
 
Second set, Nadal 1-4 Djokovic* (Djokovic leads 1-0 in sets): Another sign that Nadal is starting to catch a few breaks. Djokovic fails to put away a few volleys at the net, and Nadal, totally off-balance and stooping low, somehow squeezes the spawniest backhand he'll ever hit past him at 15-0. It'll take more than that to rock Djokovic today though. An ace and a forehand winner establishes a 40-15 lead, and he wraps up the game with another deep backhand. There's been plenty of jabber about whether Djokovic deserves the No1 spot. He's making those quibbles look very stupid. Nothing against Nadal, but this is fantastic. Djokovic is coming of age on Centre Court.

Second set, Nadal* 1-3 Djokovic (Djokovic leads 1-0 in sets): Nadal gets on the scoreboard, but all is not well with the champion. His game has unravelled and it's not often you can say that. Maybe Murray's contagious. He starts off the game by hitting an easy forehand long, but two swift aces get him off the hook. He should be pegged back, but Djokovic somehow misses an overhead smash. What's up with that? Nadal then gets the slice of luck he needs, as a fortunate net cord takes a forehand pass beyond Djokovic. Could that be the boost he needs? "Spare a thought," says Cameron Harris. "Stuck backstage at the kings head theatre doing a matinee show with my blackberry, a refresh button, and a scowl the size of macbeth's in act five." I feel your pain. I felt the same when I couldn't book the fight on Sky last night. That sensation lasted until I did manage to watch the snoozathon.
Second set, Nadal 0-3 Djokovic* (Djokovic leads 1-0 in sets): More shenanigans at the net from Djokovic. He is in the groove. It's wonderful to watch someone who's so in the zone. Forced forward again at 15-15, he hits a backhand diagonally. Nadal is there quickly but he's being made to look sluggish. He can only dig it up straight to Djokovic, who just knocks the ball back into the wide open court. The pattern continues, as Djokovic soaks up more baseline pressure from Nadal. He waits his moment and then unleashes a sublime backhand cross-court winner from left to right. Astonishing. Simply astonishing. An ace wraps up the game. Nadal is being thoroughly outplayed. He's lost the last five games.
Second set, Nadal* 0-2 Djokovic (Djokovic leads 1-0 in sets): Djokovic breaks again! He's done what Murray couldn't. Nadal is in extremely choppy waters now! This is unchartered territory for Nadal and he needs something to shake himself out of his current stupor. I'm not sure I can remember him playing this loose in a grand slam final. He's usually so focused, but part of that must be down to Djokovic's excellence from the back of the court. At 15-15, he contemptuously opens the face of the racket and guides a wonderful return into the right corner off a weak Nadal serve. At 15-30, again his defending drives Nadal up the wall. This is like Murray v Nadal, but in reverse. After a lengthy rally, eventually Nadal hits a backhand into the net to give Djokovic two break points. And he takes it in stunning fashion. A big Nadal serve forces Djokovic to just stick out his rally and drop it over the net. Obviously Nadal is there to dink it into the left service box, but Djokovic shows astonishing levels of speed and anticipation to guess Nadal's intentions. He reaches the ball and what's more, he sends his backhand back past Nadal and into the open court. This is brilliant tennis from the underdog. I'm out of my seat and so is everyone on Centre Court - except for Toni Nadal.
Second set, Nadal 0-1 Djokovic* (Djokovic leads 1-0 in sets): The reaction from Djokovic's entourage was so frenzied that when he won the first set, one of the people in his box celebrated so much that he lost his accreditation. He won't mind though - he's unlikely to be going anywhere for the next few hours. Especially if this is any indication. Just like the Murray match, Nadal comes roaring back and with the help of a favourable net cord, he goes 0-30 up quickly. This is a turn-up though. At 15-30, Nadal again knocks a forehand into the left tramlines. That's his sixth unforced error, and a seventh isn't long in coming. Although Djokovic is sent running back and forth across the baseline, doing all he can to stay in the point, Nadal's radar is suddenl askew. He arrows a pounding forehand into the corner, and Djokovic digs the ball up for a smash that Nadal should put away for a break point. Instead he remarkably crashes it past the baseline. A JFK moment if ever there was one. A big serve from Djokovic gives him a potentially crucial hold. "All Naylor's demonstrated with that photo is that he doesn't know what a 5 inch height difference would look like," says Dave Hawkins. "Unless Soderling has an incredibly big head, you'd expect the top of Hewitt's head to be in line with the bottom of Soderling's nose. It's slightly below, but he's obviously leaning forward so it's about right."
 
Third set, Nadal* 1-0 Djokovic (Djokovic leads 2-0 in sets): Just what Nadal needed, a hold at the start of the third set. Although Djokovic fights back to 40-30 from 40-0 down, Nadal suddenly remembers that his forehand's actually pretty good, and summons up his first winner on that side since the start of the first set. "Good morning from the states. Long time reader, first (or second) time poster," says Jose O'Brien. "As an econ grad student, I'm very interested in the comparative advantage of systems; having said that, what would you say has been Novak's realization for this final? In other words, what 'strong point' in his game has he amplified to come roaring from the start? Also, will this be the new rivalry for the foreseeable future? No disrespect to other players, but it seems that Djokovic v Nadal will last for a few years still...is there a comparable tennis rivalry in history?" Djokovic has simply out-hit Nadal. He's been aggressive and has gone for the kill, as you have to against Nadal. And he's barely made an unforced error as well. As for whether this is a rivalry for years to come, a lot depends on Nadal's knees.

Djokovic wins the second set 6-1 (Djokovic leads 2-0 in sets): Nadal currently looks a beaten man. This is an utter masterclass. Djokovic breezes through the game as if he's playing me, not the Wimbledon champion, a player with 10 grand slams. An ace, yet another forehand winner and a long return from Nadal give Djokovic three set points. It's taken in almost low-key fashion, as Nadal loops another return into the net. It's not even a contest at the moment. It's not even a contest against Nadal, who has been shocked to his very core. At the moment, a straight-sets victory for Djokovic is as inevitable as Michael McIntyre being on television at any time in the day.
 
Third set, Nadal* 3-0 Djokovic (Djokovic leads 2-0 in sets): We may well have a classic on our hands. Huge serving from Nadal helps him race through this game to consolidate the break, and now Djokovic, who was playing so well, realises precisely how difficult it is to beat this phenomenon. What must it be like to be that confident in your own ability?

Third set, Nadal 2-0 Djokovic* (Djokovic leads 2-0 in sets): We hear that Nadal has fought back from two sets down three times in his career, and twice at Wimbledon. And a decent start to the third set seems to have restored some of his belief. Another forehand winner down the line gets him roaring and pumping his fist, a sight that will unnerve even Djokovic. 0-15. And it's not long before it's 0-30, as Djokovic uncharacteristically fires long. The Centre Court crowd, desperate for a proper bout, wakes up, letting their support for Nadal be known in no uncertain times. Djokovic has to beat them too, but his confidence is so high at the moment. With the help of an ace, he hauls himself level, but an error from Djokovic gives Nadal his first break point of the match. And, of course, you can't give Nadal an opening like that. Djokovic sloppily fires a backhand into the net, prompting more fist-pumping from Nadal. He's not the champion for nothing. It's game on.
 
Third set, Nadal 4-1 Djokovic* (Djokovic leads 2-0 in sets): Djokovic has broken Nadal three times. Now he's not getting a look-in on the Nadal serve. An ace sees Nadal win the game to love. That took no time whatsoever. "Come on!" he cries. Djokovic trudges back to his chair in silence. It's all in the head, this sport.

Third set, Nadal 3-1 Djokovic* (Djokovic leads 2-0 in sets): Now it's Djokovic's turn to look a little ragged. The errors are starting to creep in, the shoulders are dropping and Nadal looks 10 feet tall. But he does well to come back from 0-15, the serve that had momentarily deserted Djokovic returning to get him out of a tight spot. At 40-15, there's some more crowd-pleasing antics at the net, as both men trade shots, before Djokovic finally lobs Nadal. He races back and tries to emulate Federer with a through-the-legs shot, but it goes wide. You're not Federer yet.
 
Hehehehe naona Djokovic anaanza kuweweseka. Nadal anaongoza 3rd set kwa 5-1
 
Third set, Nadal 5-1 Djokovic* (Djokovic leads 2-0 in sets): There can be no doubting who the crowd wants to win. They're backing Nadal, the champion, the player who hasn't lost here for four years. And they say Wimbledon's elitist. Worryingly for Djokovic, his forehand's starting to find its range. "UHHHHH," he bellows as he screams a couple down Djokovic's throat to go 15-30 up. A missed forehand from Djokovic, unsettled by Nadal's resolute defence, gives the Spaniard two break points - effectively set points. Djokovic, however, reminds us that he's still two sets up as more cute play at the net rescues the first, before Nadal, on the stretch, plonks a backhand weakly into the net for deuce. Still, though, the sense is that the tide has turned, and Nadal is determined to wrap this up quickly. Now it's his turn to dominate the longer rallies - it must be so wearying - and Djokovic gifts Nadal a third break point with a forehand into the net. A double-fault from Djokvic means Nadal will serve for the set. Nadal never gives up.
 
Nadal wins the third set 6-1 (Djokovic leads 2-1 in sets): Oh he's back in it now! We're going to a fourth set, as Nadal seals the set with a love-game. Unforced errors and accurate serving from Nadal leaves Djokovic with nowhere to go. He races into a 40-0 lead, and then sends a canny serve out wide. Djokovic stretches every sinew to reach it, but Nadal is at the net to whip a forehand into the opposite corner. And that's that. Nadal has shown us a rather large pair of cojones. Over to you, Novak.
 
Fourth set, Nadal 0-1 Djokovic* (Djokovic leads 2-1 in sets): Djokovic simply must hold here, because Nadal is threatening to smother him now. At 15-15, he races across the baseline to reach a firm backhand from Djokovic. He gets there, and whips a forehand down the line, and Djokovic volleys into the net. That's not happened often today, and it's another worrying chink in the Djokovic game. He manages to get back to 30-30, but a monstrous cross-court forehand from Nadal in the next point pushes Djokovic back and a backhand into the net offers up the break point. It really should be put away too, but remarkably, despite having a big target to hit, Nadal's forehand down the line is over-cooked. Djokovic escapes and Nadal blocks two serves long. He challenges the second call, but incorrectly. Crucial, and that may help him get back to the level he was playing at in the first two sets.
 
Fourth set, Nadal* 0-2 Djokovic (Djokovic leads 2-1 in sets): Now then. Having wasted a break point in the last game, Nadal gives Djokovic something to cling on to as he goes 0-30 down following a sliced backhand into the net and a missed forehand. Djokovic then foolishly allows Nadal back into it with a tame forehand into the net. But this is the Djokovic we saw in the first two sets. A low forehand approach pins Nadal back, and Djokovic races to the net to put away a forehand volley. Two break points. It's his match again. Confidence up, suddenly he remembers that he was dominating the long rallies early on, and is handed the break as Nadal slams a backhand into the net after terrific hustling at the back of the court from Djokovic. Now that takes some character. "True, Nadal never gives up, but did he tank the second set, preserving his energy to strike back in the third, knowing that nobody has ever played fifth sets as effectively as him?" says Gary Naylor. "It would have been high risk approach, but with the third set now secured and the momentum with him, it may not have been a bad move." No way. No player does that.
 
Fourth set, Nadal 1-2 Djokovic* (Djokovic leads 2-1 in sets): And yet Nadal will not go away. At 30-15, he drags Djokovic all over the place, eventually inducing the error. At 30-30, Nadal goes on the attack and Djokovic, off-balance, drops a forehand long. Nadal didn't take the break point in the first game, but this time he gets a break in every sense of the word. Off Djokovic's serve, he just opens up the rally and goes for a forehand slice - and the ball clips the top of the net and lands agonisingly on the other side, killed dead as it falls on the grass with Djokovic stranded. The margins of success and failure could not be tighter than this.
 
Fourth set, Nadal* 2-2 Djokovic (Djokovic leads 2-1 in sets): "Tomorrow's newspapers," ponders Boris Becker. "All the headlines of today." He's clearly never heard of the digital-first future. Anyway, it's an easy hold for Nadal. "I'm sure that Mr Djokovic is a lovely man, but he always looks as if he's smirking, bit like that blonde guy on Emmerdale," says Shane O'Leary. "So, that's why we'd like Nadal to win, please."
 
Fourth set, Nadal 2-3 Djokovic* (Djokovic leads 2-1 in sets): It's said that the surfaces today are more similar than ever, but surely no one expected to see sliding on grass. Amazingly that's what Djokovic has brought to SW19 this year. There's not been much of it so far today, but he's starting to bring it out. Is that a good sign? I'm not so sure. It would suggest he's being moved about more by Nadal. From 30-0, Nadal gets level, but Djokovic realises he has to go for it, and eventually Nadal shanks a backhand into the net. That one barely got off the floor. Nadal then hits a forehand return long, and that's the game. And how Djokovic needed that.
 
Wimbledon-mens-final-2011-007.jpg

Friends. For now. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
 
Fourth set, Nadal* 3-3 Djokovic (Djokovic leads 2-1 in sets): Nadal slices into the net to give Djokovic a 0-15 lead, but the response from there is impressive. At 30-15, Djokovic pings a forehand cross-court, so Nadal whacks a backhand down the line. There's not much you can do about that. Apart from leave half of the court open, obviously. Djokovic then sends a forehand return wide - a real feature of his game this afternoon. Meanwhile, there's more woe for Cameron Harris. "I am so gutted to be missing a classic wimbledon battle of two guys on the top of their game," he wails. "Surprisingly, the show has not sold well- who knew that sunday theatre goers are in exactly the same demographic as wimbledon fans- urgh!" I missed the 2007 final because I was on a train in Poland. It's happened to us all.
 
3rd set Djokovic anajipiga kifua kwa majidai baada ya kuchukukua uongozi wa 5-3
 
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